


boo

by mildlydiscouraging



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Trans Male Character, hell yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 19:30:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3261710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mildlydiscouraging/pseuds/mildlydiscouraging
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>king</i> boo, to be exact.</p><p>in which tyler doesn't always take news the best, but he really tries, and that's all josh can ask for really. well, that and his unconditional love. but he kind of already has that. also, there's mario kart. obviously.</p>
            </blockquote>





	boo

**Author's Note:**

> one day i woke up and i had a new note on my phone from two a.m. the previous night and all it said was "transboy josh tho" and that made me really excited.
> 
> (disclaimer: i'm not really a ftm guy (im ft-agender-presenting-as-masc) so i'm really honestly sorry if anything about this is ostensibly wrong or offensive. i just really like imagining my favs like me in any way. so. thanks for reading anyway.)
> 
> eta: i was going to wait to post this until tomorrow so im on a more regular posting schedule, but i just heard the news about leonard nimoy and i just need to do something.  
> this doesnt really have anything to do with him or even star trek in general (i may be writing something like that now) but him and that franchise have inspired me to do so much i just need to create more, you know? ok cool.

There's a beat of silence as Tyler's eyebrows knit together in confusion and Josh resumes his staring contest with the floor.

"You-?"

"Look," Josh cuts off whatever Tyler was about to say and stares up at the rigging above them, the crew rushing around, anywhere but his best friend, "it's just... I know now's not really a good time to do this, but I've been thinking about how you know so much about me and you're kind of the most important person in my life besides my mom, but you don't even know this huge thing that's kind of a big deal to me and it's just been driving me crazy, man."

He's subconsciously twirling a drumstick in one hand, which has Tyler distracted for a while before he remembers what he'd just heard.

"So you... You used to be a girl?"

The thought is weird to him enough as is, and the little clock in the back of his head that's counting down to when they have to be on stage is distracting enough that it hasn't fully sunk in yet.

Apparently his shaky wording is off and Josh sighs again, running the hand that isn't holding his sticks across his face.

"No, wait," Tyler tries to salvage what he'd said, "I mean, okay, let me start over. So, you used to...?"

He can't really think of another way to put it and leaves Josh to fill in the blank. Except before he can, Mark is grabbing both their arms and dragging them over to the right side of the stage.

"Dude, what-"

"Curtains up, boys."

Mark practically pushes them onstage with a smile that Tyler always thought was a little creepy. It definitely is now.

It's only about halfway through the set that Tyler realizes that the weird quiet buzzing noise he's been hearing between songs is Josh nervously bouncing his leg right next to his snare. He knows he still doesn't quite understand, but the fact that that's a nervous tick he's never seen before kind of scares him. So if he happens to look over at Josh more often when he's singing, and hanging around the drums when he knows full well he has to be on the opposite side of the stage in five seconds, well, you can't really blame him for wanting to make sure his best friend is okay, can you?

They eventually finish and Tyler's too high off the crowd's energy to notice Josh making a beeline for the bus the second he gets off stage.

He doesn't come out of his bunk for anything, even the prospect of food, so Tyler ends up going out to meet fans alone, which is another thing that kind of scares them, and has to come up with a reason why Josh isn't there.

"Too much Taco Bell, probably," he tells them, and their laughter in return sounds tinny and far off. He doesn't remember much after that, signing a few CDs and taking pictures, before some of the venue's security tells everyone they have to clear out.

By the time he finally gets back in the bus, sharpie staining his fingers and cheeks hurting from smiling too much, Josh is still holed up in his bunk. He figures now's a good a time as any, though, and flops down on the ground beside it.

"Josh," Tyler whispers, knowing that Josh isn't asleep, but the darkness of the bus making him feel like anything louder than that is too much, "can we talk?"

Josh doesn't say anything, just rolls over and stares at the other side of the dark curtain.

"I..." He doesn't know where he was going with his sentence and pauses. Josh tries to ignore how heavy his own breathing is.

"I'm sorry," is what he finally chooses to say, "I'm sorry I freaked out earlier, I really didn't mean to."

"Then why did you?"

It's the first thing Josh has said to him since he told Tyler before the show. He thinks it's probably the first thing he's said to anyone since his voice is kind of croaky, like he's been sleeping except for how Tyler knows that's not true.

Before he can respond, however, there's a couple people outside yelling back and forth before the bus starts to rumble and they pull out of the venue's parking lot.

It gives Tyler a little time to think, but not as much as he wishes he had. Before they'd even pulled onto the highway, he can hear rustling on the other side of the curtain and it isn't long before Josh's hand sticks out to pull it back.

Neither of them do anything but look at each other for a second, but when Tyler finally processes the way Josh looks just the slightest bit hurt still, the dam inside his head breaks.

"Look," he starts, "I don't understand. I mean, I can't, you know?"

Josh nods, just the tiniest bit, but enough to keep Tyler talking.

"Like, there's a lot of things I don't know. I don't know how long an octopus lives or what the square root of seven hundred fifty two is. I don't know how to not freak out when I find a spider in the shower. I don't know what it feels like to feel out of place in your own skin." He pauses. "Well, okay, I kind of do, but not like how you must've felt before, well, you know."

Cringing at his own choice of words, he hurries to continue, "But I know that I love you, man. I know you're still Josh, and you run like a cheetah and you drum like there's no tomorrow and sometimes when you smile you look kind of like a shark. And I know that you're my best friend on the whole planet. And I know that nothing's ever gonna change that."

They're both crying now, out of stress most likely, but at least now they're on the same page. At least they're crying together?

Tyler knows that tomorrow he's going to be a bit embarrassed about pouring his heart out like that, but it's not like he doesn't do that every night onstage anyway. Right now, all that matters is that his best friend knows how important he is to Tyler, regardless (or maybe because) of who he is. Maybe even more than either of them know.

Not really good at comforting at the best of times, Tyler reaches out awkwardly to put his hand on Josh's knee. They sit like that in the quiet until Josh's sniffling dies out and Tyler's back can't take being hit against the wall with every pothole anymore.

"Hey," he half whispers, nudging Josh's shoulder until he looks up, "you wanna play Mario Kart?"

Josh laughs, a little wetly, and pushes the heels of his hands into his eyes until the lingering tears are wiped away.

"Yeah," he concedes, "as long as you let me play King Boo."

Josh never lost as Boo.

"Deal."

Tyler knew.

He smiles and stands up, offering Josh a hand. Tyler slings an arm around Josh's shoulder as they head to the tiny "living room", almost knocking them both over as the bus hops over another pothole.

"I'm so going to kick your ass at Rainbow Road, though."

Josh snorts, knowing full well how awful his friend is at that level.

"If I win, am I out of the band?" He teases as he goes to turn on the Xbox.

"Nah," Tyler takes player two, "you're never out of the band. Not really."

When Josh hears the unusually soft tone of Tyler's voice, he smiles dumbly at the blinking green "on" light and looks over his shoulder to see Tyler sitting on the couch, already uselessly mashing buttons.

"Alright. Game on, then."

**Author's Note:**

> i just really !! love josh dun !!  
> thank u for ur time.
> 
> tumblr @[findyourmonsters](http://photocomfort.co.vu/)


End file.
